Flowers for Spring [M]

[Chevi]

"I hope so. But...I hope to see her happy. And just think, if she's as blessed with Gaius as she has been with her late husband you will be an Uncle Lucius again. And Vipsania's children will have some playmates."

Lucius smirked at the idea. He did not meet Vipsania's family very often, but he did love the kids; being an uncle sounded a whole lot more fun than being a father. "Gaius will make a good father. He's got practice" he pointed out. His brother had been the head of the family, with a nuisance of a little brother, long enough.

"I've not seen her since that games. I should visit...nor have I seen...anybody really. Alexius, of course, but not the others. Although I ran into the red-head that had been cut in the baths... Have you seen many of them?" 

"Making friends with the plebs, are we?" he arched an eyebrow, amused. Somehow she seemed embarrassed about having met Aia. He shook his head. "I've met Alexius, we talk sometimes... I see the othes on patrol occasionally. It was... a strange bunch of people. But all of them are good people, I think."

@Sara

[Sara]

"Mhmm." She nodded in agreement. He would make a good father. She had supposed that after only a few of their many and frequent conversations. But not a father to any children she would bare. He deserved more than her, and Pinaria was a close friend. She saw the attraction there - beautiful, already proven fertility, and most importantly kind. Which Ovinia would be the first to admit she was not. Most of the time. 

She glanced at him, cheek resting on her bent knees, amused. She adjusted her dress to cover her calves again. "I thought I would take a leaf from your book. See what the plebs can offer me." She chuckled, and as it turned out it was...a lot. She'd taken Aia's advice to heart and discovered more than enough to keep her occupied for several evenings. A whole, previously unexplored world had been opened to her. 

Sighing she ran her thumb over his knuckles, watching him. "They are. A very odd bunch indeed though." She chuckled and moved her fingers up his arm gently, tracing the neat line of a scar there. She winced. "How is it?" She referred to the cut she'd inflicted and still felt terrible about. 

 

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[Chevi]

"I thought I would take a leaf from your book. See what the plebs can offer me."

Lucius chuckled. Offer, indeed. Even when venturing out of her small world, Ovinia was still very much Ovinia. But he was glad she was in the company of good people, at least. 

He watched her; she looked comfortable, curled up on the bench. Her fingers traced his arm and his skin felt warmer at her touch. She paused at his latest scar.

"They are. A very odd bunch indeed though. How is it?"

"All healed" he smiled softly, covering her hand with his. "I think most people assume I got it while apprehending a criminal. Which is... sort of true." he smirked. Close enough.

@Sara

[Sara]

She gave him a pointed but somewhat embarrassed look and then cleared her throat, still tracing the line underneath his palm. "Are you calling me a criminal for what I did?" She tilted her head to watch it, moving it up from her knees. "I suppose I was..." She had been incensed and not in her right mind, but it was no excuse. 

"I'm having less nightmares now." She admitted quietly to him as he hands followed the line of his hand on hers. Not no nightmares, but less. "And I feel better, in crowds." She sighed and then returned her eyes to his face. "I think it was worth it. Speaking to Tiberius. In the end." She swallowed at the memory but then cracked a small smile. "But I think it's fair to say you won't be invited round for wine and pastries at my fathers house any time soon." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

 

[Chevi]

 "Are you calling me a criminal for what I did? I suppose I was..."

"I'm not" Lucius laughed softly. "I'm saying I was sort of present when he was apprehended." He did not blame Ovinia for his injury, they had talked about that before. She was still tracing his skin, and it was definitely distracting.

"I'm having less nightmares now. And I feel better, in crowds. I think it was worth it. Speaking to Tiberius. In the end... But I think it's fair to say you won't be invited round for wine and pastries at my fathers house any time soon." 

"Oh, I know. Maybe once I make praefect?" he smirked. He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "One can hope."

@Sara

 

[Sara]

I can’t wait that long. She mused to herself with a sad, gut-twisting thought. She swallowed it away. She was not taking her own advice, that she had given to Alexius but she found that she couldn’t. And she reasoned that Lucius knew this would one day have to come to an end. She just didn’t wish to talk about it. 

Instead she smiled as he kissed her knuckles, chuckling. “Getting ahead of yourself, no? Don’t you have to make Tribune first?” She tilted her head watching him and moved her fingers from his hand to gently sweep along his cheek. Her hands were soft, the fingers of a woman who had never done manual labour in her life. “I hope you are sensible though. It would be a shame for such a nice face to get burned in a fire.”

 

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[Chevi]

“Getting ahead of yourself, no? Don’t you have to make Tribune first?”

"Gods help me, I do" he chuckled, allowing her to trace his cheek. He knew that becoming tribune was still far away... and that he would have to fight an uphill battle against the born equite to take the position of praefect, if ever. For now, he was content that he had a job he liked doing.

“I hope you are sensible though. It would be a shame for such a nice face to get burned in a fire.”

"It's my best feature isn't it" he grinned at her. "Good to know you think it's nice..." He tilted his chin, pressing a kiss into her palm, then another at her wrist.

@Sara

[Sara]

“I wouldn’t say it’s your only good feature, but it’s certainly nice to look at.” She grinned, shifting a little on the bench as he plucked her hand away from his face and pressed kisses to it and her wrist. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly quite dry.

But she was not going to let him win quite so easily. She offered him an arched brow. “But you are fishing for compliments and I won’t humour you. Particularly when you haven’t even given me one.” Ovinia had always been vain but she’d gone to new extremes and fussing over her appearance when faced with a meeting with Lucius. 

 

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[Chevi]

"That's not true!" he protested, looking up at her. He knew she was playing; Ovinia liked to be complimented. "Who's fishing now?" he added, arching an eyebrow, but he did not let go of her hand. He knew he was not going to win this game, but he didn't mind. He sighed, throwing his free hand up in mock defeat. "Fine." he bowed his head to kiss her palm again. "You are beautiful." He murmured, pressing another kiss to her wrist. "And damn attractive." He shifted closer to her on the bench, watching, and reached up to trace her cheek. "You look like Flora herself."

@Sara

[Sara]

She knew she was fishing. She really didn’t care. It thrilled her to think he found her worthy of affection. Validation had always been critical for Ovinia and if she’d ever thought of the cause, it was probably because she got none from her parents. She didn’t think of the cause.

Instead she chuckled at his reaction and dropped her legs back down, brushing his own as she did. She was flushing now. She hated it but she was. She swallowed as he moved a hand to her cheek and she arched a brow. “Not Venus?”

 

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[Chevi]

She blushed, and it was a lovely look. Lucius grinned at her question. "I like Flora better." Venus had been... capricious, according to most stories, and if his own life was any indication, she was not very kind either. He leaned closer, admiring he as she blushed at his touch. He lowered his voice, although there was no one around to hear. "Have you been thinking about me?"

@Sara

[Sara]

“Hmph.” She chuckled, playing with him. “She isn’t renowned for her beauty though?”

But the smile was wiped from her face as he leant closer. Instead her lips parted and she swallowed, finding the words sent a shudder through her. She should have laughed in his face at the presumptive nature of the question. But she didn’t. She just watched him, tilting her cheek and her jaw into his palm. “Yes.” She answered quietly. But she went on, emboldened at the way he was looking at her and his proximity after so many weeks apart. “At night.” Her throat felt dry. “Have you been thinking of me?”

 

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[Chevi]

At night.

Lucius had been teasing her, but her words made his eyes widen just a bit. The woman had no idea what she was doing to him. Or maybe she did? Her eyes were dark and her lips parted. His gaze flickered down at them.

Have you been thinking of me?

"All the time" he smiled softly, running his thumb over her cheek. "And what do you think about?... At night?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She felt her heart slamming against her ribs and it was more difficult to draw a clean breath. The way his eyes widened and the sweep of his rough thumb over her cheekbone didn’t help. 

She knew she shouldn’t talk about this. She knew she should be good and keep things as…chaste as they had always been, up to now, even if Saturnalia hadn’t felt very chaste at the time. She swallowed, glancing up to meet his eyes. They were dark. “What we did at Saturnalia. What we did in the library.” She bit her lip for the briefest of moments. “What it feels like when you touch me.”

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

This... was a whole different side of Ovinia. Something had changed. Lucius was not sure what, but he was also not complaining at all. The last time they had met, she refused to entertain the thought of... anything more than kissing. That was maybe still the case. But for what it was worth, he desperately wanted to kiss her. She bit her lip, just for a moment, and he lost the game, dipping his head to press his lips against hers.

@Sara

[Sara]

He leant in and she was on his lips in a moment. She had dreamt of another snatched moment like this both when asleep and awake. The moments after he had told her she was to testify was too sad, too painful to think of but Saturnalia…the library…and now this.

She returned the kiss softly, moving to loop one arm up and over shoulders fingers curling into his arm as she made a soft sound of pleasure at the sensation. Her head was spinning. This would never, ever get old and all the pain this would infatuation would cause her was worth it for moments like this alone.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Kissing Ovinia would never get old. He doubted he would ever get enough of it. She made a soft sound and he pulled her closer, hand slipping into his hair. Their flower crowns rustled as they brushed against each other. He kissed her slowly, knowing it would be another fleeting moment. Gods, this woman. His other hand slid to her waist, drawing her closer against him.

@Sara

[Sara]

She moaned again as his fingers splayed through her intricate half up-do. Her own hand gripped onto his arm as if for dear life. And as he gripped her waist she pulled back, breathless and flushed and very well kissed but not protesting as her chest landed flush against his. It was awkward though, sitting beside one another on the bench. A soft smile played on her lips before she ducked down to kiss him again.

 

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[Chevi]

They parted, breathless, as close as they could be while still sitting next to each other. She smiled, and leaned in again. Lucius hummed, she was gorgeous and attractive and maddening. Emboldened by her kissing him again, he finally grew frustrated by their position, and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her lightly onto his lap.

@Sara

[Sara]

Kissing him felt like the best thing, the most right thing and yet something she never knew she needed until now. She was lost in it and the feeling of his hands in her hair and stroking her waist. And then the former withdrew and she missed its presence…only to find herself hoisted up to be deposited on his lap. She choked, breaking the kiss.

This was further than they’d ever gone before. It felt so much more intimate, even when compared to their frenetic kiss against the wall at Saturnalia. She was panting for breath and she looked flustered. She was still sat sideways on his lap but they were so much closer. She could feel his heart in his chest as she placed a hand softly on his chest. “We shouldn’t…” She murmured quietly, but her fingers were playing over his chest and then his throat. She tilted her head down to look at him. This was exactly what she imagined. They really shouldn’t. But she couldn’t help the want that built inside of her and she ducked down for another kiss, this one not as soft, this was one was far more urgent.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

No, they definitely shouldn't. Chaste or not, if her father or brothers saw them like this Lucius would be skinned and the crucified. But all of those things felt very theoretical when she was touching him, body against his, and kissing him with more hunger than before. Lucius moaned, a deep sound in his chest, his hands exploring her body through the soft fabric of her chiton. Dammit. The kiss felt like the ones they shared at Saturnalia now, urgent and deep. He finally broke away from her lips, catching his breath, and, just like at Saturnalia, trailed kisses along her jaw and neck.

@Sara

[Sara]

Ovinia tilted her head back as he worked kisses along the length of her jaw and her throat. She was breathless but in a deep state of pure need for him. For somebody that usually prided herself on her good sense and wits, they were utterly scattered to the winds now.

She let out a soft moan of pleasure as his kisses fluttered over the sensitive skin under her ear and she shuddered, fidgeting on his lip. This was a dangerous, dangerous game but she couldn’t stop herself. Much as she should have. “I’ve been dreaming of this…” She murmured breathlessly, “Of us.”

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

She tasted amazing. Her skin was soft, and she smelled like flowers, and the sigh that left her lips was the best sound in the world. Lucius lost himself, more so than he had before, one hand tracing her thigh and the other her back.

“I’ve been dreaming of this… Of us.”

Dreaming. Of us.

Lucius shuddered, hand squeezing her thigh as he looked up her her, eyes dark.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing to me?" he breathed, smiling a dazed smile at her. He was halfway convinced he was dreaming right now.

@Sara

[Sara]

Ovinia was dreaming, of that she was sure. This was another of the dreams that she woke up to, breathless, flushed, squirming. But then she felt his hand grip her thigh and it jolted her back to reality. Not a dream. Somehow this was better.

She tilted her head down to look at him. She could see want in his eyes and she suspected it was mirrored in her own. She swallowed, unable to find her voice for a few moments. “I have some idea.” She replied with a breathless little smile. She was sat on his lap after all. She moved her fingers to frame either side of his face and moved him up to kiss her lips, properly. Deeply. Gods above this man was going to ruin her but she was really, really struggling to care. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

 

[Chevi]

“I have some idea.”

Gods.

This was different. Ovinia was different. The way she looked at him, like she knew exactly what she wanted, the way she pulled him into another kiss... it was different from before. Less innocent. Lucius made a surprised sound, then caught up to the kiss, humming in pleasure as he returned it. Less careful this time, as he gently nipped at her lip. His hand stroked up her thigh through her dress, feeling the curve of her hip. She was beautiful.

"This is different..." he muttered against her lips, smiling.

@Sara